Isn't That What Friends Are For?
by Marvelous.Mirana.of.Marmoreal
Summary: Mirana POV. A little One Shot. Mirana and Alice chat in the middle of the night, surrounded by friends.


**A one shot I've been considering for quite a while. Starts the night everyone returns from Salazen Grum- Tarrant, Chessur (though he never left…) the Tweedles, Mally, all of them **

I sat, cross-legged on the floor, with my back against my bed. I rested my head back on it as my head was just below the edge. I was oddly comfortable. Chessur was on the surface of my bed, his tail occasionally brushing my shoulder, and sometimes wrapping around my forehead. He was checking my temperature. I'd been sick lately and he was worried. Where his tail brushed my shoulder was where Mally was sleeping soundly with her furry head against my neck. I had the Tweedles on either side of me, curled on the floor, asleep. Their quiet snores made good background noise. Bayard, Bielle, and their puppies were gathered in the corner of the room, curled around each other. McTwisp was sleeping on a chair directly across from us. Thackary had gone to the kitchen to get some tea and scones. How I loved his tea! Though it was nothing compared to Tarrant's. Speaking of Tarrant, he was laying on his back, resting his head in my lap. It being in that one spot was a little distracting… He had his legs bent up so that he was in a good position for looking up at me. I smiled at him every once in a while, absent mindedly playing with his orange curls, twisting and turning them, and then smoothing out the knots. I couldn't help but stare at his large eyes and gap-toothed grin. It was just so handsome.

"We should have asked Alice to join us, Mirana," purred Chess. Yes, he was right. It wasn't very polite of us to exclude her.

"Why don't you go ask her? If she will, have Thackary make another pot of tea and another batch of scones." He disappeared and reappeared almost instantly.

"She's asked to be let alone. It's late and she needs to sleep."

"Then please urge her to come! Tell her I can ask Time to extend the night," I suggested. It wasn't really a complete group of friends until Alice was here as well. He left again, and didn't return for a while. I suppose she changed her mind. The doors to my chamber opened and in walked Alice. She glanced at my position and blushed, making me smile. She didn't understand how comfortable us Underlandians are with each other. I picked up Tweeldedum and moved him next to Tweedledee, patting the now vacant floor space next to me. She came and sat, silent for the whole time like everyone else. By the time Thackary returned with 3 pots of tea, 2 trays of scones, and Chessur- she was resting her head on my shoulder, half asleep!

"Wake up! Ye'll be late fer tea!" exclaimed the Hare. Everyone jumped up- whether they'd been asleep or not- and grabbed some tea and scones. Well, everyone except me. I sat there, watching and smiling as they ate for the first time in a while. Alice kindly brought me my own cup of tea and resumed her seat next to me. We were quiet for quite a while, sipping our tea and watching contently as the others ate as if they were wolves. The Tweedles came and sat at my side again once they had finished. I stroked their foreheads until they were almost asleep.

"She is much better than the Red Queen," mumbled Dee.

"Yes, yes much better. Contrariwise, the Red Queen is much worse than she," replied Dum. I giggled as they fell asleep. I hadn't noticed Alice was staring at their little conversation.

"It's almost as if you're their mother. All of them," she blurted out. My eyes widened, remembering how old the people around me were and touched my face in various places, searching for wrinkles.

"I beg your pardon!" I exclaimed, not finding any.

"No, no, you've misunderstood! I simply meant that by the way you treat them!" she hastily corrected. I sighed in relief and slumped against the bed, smiling slightly. I suppose she was correct.

"Well alright then. I suppose that's better. You see, none of them have any family. McTwisp's, Thackary's, Tarrant's, and Mallymkin's families died in the Jabberwocky attack. The Tweedles were dropped off here at the castle as young toddlers and Chessur is as old as Underland itself- his parents are long gone. I, sadly, am left without family as well. Iracebeth…did away with our parents a few years ago. Her husband was nice to me, the King of Hearts. He was sort of like a brother, in a way. But, alas, he was killed off as well. Iracebeth can barely be considered human, let alone a sister. So now, Tarrant is my brother and the others are my 'children'," I mused. Sometimes, I thought of me as the mother, Tarrant as the father, and then everyone else as the children still. I grinned at the thought, and saw Alice staring at me. This made me realize that I was probably smiling like a fool.

"You're mad as well aren't you, Majesty?" she asked, blushing brightly

"Please, call me Mirana, as everyone here does. And what a peculiar question. I suppose I am, to believe in all these things. Sometimes, I think of as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast." She smiled at me sadly.

"My father used to say that…" She glanced down at the floor, avoiding eye contact. I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "He also said that all the best people are mad." She looked at me once more, smiling, but her eyes were shining with unshed tears. "Are they? Are they really the best?"

"I believe so. All of my best friends are mad- Tarrant, Thackary, Mally," I hesitated, "and I think you are a bit mad too, Alice." I touched her nose lightly, making her laugh. It made me happy to see she was once again happy. Tarrant came back over and resumed his former position.

"What are you ladies talking about, over here all alone?" he questioned. We looked at each other and smiled secretively.

"Madness!" we yelled out together. He beamed.

"Well, I am quite the expert on madness, you know."

"Yes, yes, you've mentioned it a few times," I teased. I again, twirled his hair in my fingers. He bent up his knees and tilted his head back just enough so that he was looking me in the eyes. Chess curled around my head and Mally lay on my shoulder. McTwisp fell asleep on the chair across from us. Alice rested her tired little head on my open shoulder and sighed. Tarrant's quiet snores told me had drifted off to Dreamland, as well as Mallymkin and Chessur. Bayard, Bielle, and the pups were sleeping soundly in the corner, huddled together. Thackary had once again gone to the kitchen to put away the tea things. I felt a furry tail brush my forehead for a moment, then my shoulder on which Mallymkin was sleeping. And I just barely fell asleep, hearing one last thing Chess whispered to me.

"I'm glad we invited Alice, Majesty. She made your fever disappear. She made you truly happy." I heard Alice mumble something as well, which surprised me. I had thought she was asleep.

"Isn't that what friends are for?"


End file.
